Only God

"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears." 2 Samuel 7:22

I hope that no one who stops by and reads this blog gets tired of stories. And by stories, I mean the tales of provision that God always seems to provide for us at the perfect time. And I have a good one this morning- actually, it's a great one.

A few weeks ago I shared about how my kids prayed for a financial boon. We had a conference last week, and we wanted to stay in a hotel with a pool- so they could have fun during the down times. Finances were tight, and they knew it, and the kids started praying. God totally answered their prayers and the money that we needed came in for the room. And then Andy worked a short week. And then Andy was laid off completely, and I really was having a hard time justifying spending the money on a hotel room.

Andy and I rolled it around in our heads for a few weeks, and finally, I had to talk to the kids about it. We discussed how Daddy wasn't working, so spending that much on a hotel wasn't such a good idea. I even came up with a compromise- that we could still get a hotel room, just one at a cheaper hotel without a pool. The kids were disappointed, but they did see how we could use the money for other expenses. Yet as the conference crept closer and closer, we just weren't sure what we were going to do. A hotel room was a necessity. For our sanity and for our kids benefit, we needed to not have to be driving back and forth so late at night.

At the same time, news of Andy's lay-off has been spread around. So many friends have shared his abilities and talents with others, letting them know that if they need anything done, they should get ahold of Andy. And lo and behold, one day, I get an e-mail. A surprising on actually, from someone we knew who had recently purchased a new house and had some tree work that really needed to be done. Could Andy come look at it and give an estimate? Now, these people who wanted an estimate were people who really blessed us once upon a time. When we were looking for a church, they really made us feel welcome at their church, and the message that day was so exactly what we needed to hear. We ended up not going back to this church, but boy, did it bless us, and every since then, In the back of my mind, I've wished there was more I could do for these people other than pray for them.

So when Andy set up this appointment to do the estimate, I very hesitatingly mentioned to him that I wasn't so sure that he should charge these people for the tree work. I was hesitant to mention it, because golly, when Andy's not working, every penny counts. But I really felt that he needed to know that I was okay with him not charging for these people, just doing the work and blessing them. He had been feeling the same way, but at the same time, in the past he's had people absolutely insist on paying him, so if that ended up being the case, he was going to have to let them.

Andy goes and does the estimate. Although, it ends up not being an estimate. They look over the trees, he sees what needs to be done, and then discusses potential days to come and do it. They talk for a while, the upcoming conference is coming up, and will these people be there? Things like that. Andy leaves and goes on to another project for the day and I get a phone call. Andy had refused to give an estimate, and this tree project was going to be such a huge blessing to these people. So this person had been praying and asking God how they could bless us in return, so wouldn't you know. They wanted to put us in a hotel room for the conference. And just like that, they made sure it was okay with us, and then called and made the arrangements at a nice hotel with a pool. And I'll tell you, I was flabbergasted about it all weekend. I just was in awe that God would provide such a wonderful blessing.

It really said so much to our kids, I have to tell you. We certainly didn't hesitate to share the good news with them, and I really think it drove something home for them- that God loved them so much, that he wanted to provide that hotel and pool for them for the conference. And of course, we had a wonderful conference. The pool was well used, and the rest we got at that hotel was even sweeter than normal. It just amazes me how God can bring the perfect set of circumstances together and the perfect people into our lives to share something at just the right time. Only God could do that- and does that!

Only our Sovereign God, who loves His children more than anything, would provide in the ways that He's been providing for us. God loves all His children too! He doesn't just love my family, He also loves your family. He also loves you- and He wants to provide for you too. I think that's a good thing to remember, because if you had told us two weeks ago that God was going to produce someone to pay for our hotel room for us, I would have laughed and said "yeah, sure". Yet He did just that- it shows that God's provision doesn't always come in the ways that we think it will come. That mystery check may still show up in the mailbox, but if He has some other way to bless us, I'm certainly not going to turn it away.